Gumbley said fair compensation is important now because most players’ careers will end after their junior days.

“Some may say ‘hey, they got it all made’, that 1.5 per cent of them actually go on the the national hockey league … but there’s 98.5 per cent of those kids that need the support and need the direction from someone else,” he said.

“Players are athletes and not employees’

If the bill passes here, players with the Charlottetown Islanders will be affected.

In an e-mail statement sent to CBC, Craig Foster, President of Operations for the Charlottetown Islanders, said, “We have always believed that our players are athletes and not employees and this legislation confirms that.”

“Our objective is to provide the support both on and off the ice to allow our players to progress in hockey as far as talent and work ethic can allow,” said Foster.

Foster said the team also looks forward to joining other province’s who have exempted players from labour laws.

A spokesperson for the Quebec Major Junior League says players are provided with equipment, coaching, mental health counselling, billet families, scholarships and financial stipends. (Tom Steepe/CBC)

A spokesperson for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League also responded saying players are provided with equipment, coaching, and mental health counseling.

They are also provided with billet families, scholarships and financial stipends said the league.

But Gumbley suggested, if the bill passes, workers in other professions could also, eventually, lose their rights.